The Unmasking
by Apokruphos
Summary: A lone mercenary working for an anti-biowarfare organization infiltrates Raccoon City to prove Umbrella's involvement with the incident. Please R&R.


(Apokruphos) The Unmasking 03/10/2002  
  
The sky, enveloped in darkness, loomed over the small, once perfect town of Raccoon City. Few lights now shone in what used to be the most coveted town in the nation. The Umbrella Corporation soon destroyed the prosperous reputation the lovely town had earned; with the experiments originally performed atop the hill, in the abandoned mansion, the large company reined terror upon the residents of the quiet community.  
  
Sirens still echoed through the streets, resonating on the glass surfaces of the taller buildings of the dense commercial areas; fires raged through several parts of the small town. It was pure chaos.  
  
In one of the tall glass towers, a man walked up the stairs, his right arm limp. His skin was very pale. He was of an average height, had shaggy black hair and obviously hadn't shaved in several days; however, a thin black balaclava, with thin metal plates covering the mouth and neck, masked this. He wore a form-fitting black combat bodysuit, which was lined on the interior with chain mail; it had several thin black metal pieces added to it for additional protection. A black vest covered his torso, comprised of several pieces cascading over each other. Tall black metal boots were joined at the top by kneepads; thigh-protectors continued the leg protection, finally to end with various small metal plates to protect the pelvic area. Arm protection was minimal to maximize mobility. An extremely thin black backpack was on his back; it possessed several exterior pockets and straps. Its sides were lined with ammunition magazines, which trailed from the top to the bottom. He was armed with two holstered bulky black sidearms, capable of rapid-fire operation on his right and left thighs, and a sword of samurai design, without the traditional curve but with a straight blade, tied vertically from top to bottom on his back, underneath the backpack, the handle protruding just behind his head. Infrared goggles of a curious design, connected to the face plating, covered his eyes, facilitating his ability to move in the pitch-like darkness.  
  
The goggles were very compact and had large glowing red lenses covering the eyes. The lenses had iris shutters, which cascaded over each lens to protect the wearer's eyesight from sudden bursts of light or augmentations in lighting, much like the behavior of the human eye, to allow him to operate under the most extreme lighting conditions. It could also dilate or contract expressedly, to express anger or surprise.  
  
He made his way, slowly, to the thirteenth floor, where he kicked open the stairwell door. The portal led into a large office, filled with desks and filing cabinets. The man walked over to a sofa against a wall to the left; the right wall of the room was completely comprised of tall windows, providing a view of the adjacent structure and of the chaos in the streets below. He unbuckled numerous straps and let his backpack fall onto the table opposite the long seat. The surprisingly small black bag contained two weeks' rations, over six hundred rounds for his sidearms, a lock pick set, flares, and other miscellaneous useful equipment.  
  
The mercenary dragged a large garbage can next to the sofa and filled it with papers from nearby desks. He dropped onto the couch and laid there a moment before lighting a flare from his backpack and throwing it into the can. The signal flare spawned licking flames, providing heat and light, and forcing the infrared goggle lenses to constrict. He looked over to his right arm, just below the shoulder, at the wound he had earlier received; the chain mail links were broken and piercing into the oddly pale flesh.  
  
Reaching into one of the outer pockets of his backpack, he withdrew a perfectly fitting silver case, and set it down on the edge of the table. He pressed a button on the case and it opened; it contained bandages and three syringes filled with a red fluid. He injected himself near the wound with one of the syringes, which contained a coagulant and an alcohol-based disinfectant designed to stop bleeding, to speed the body's healing process by as much as five hundred percent and to numb nerve endings to stop pain. He pulled up his sleeve, it was only a surface wound, but was deep enough to cause substantial bleeding and discomfort; he began to wrap the injury with the bandages.  
  
Once he finished wrapping his arm in the white bandages, the painkilling injection began to take effect, alleviating most of the pain. He checked his watch; it was 8:59. The soldier exhaled and closed his eyes, thinking back to the events, which led to his current situation.  
  
* * *  
  
He was not human. His mother had been an employee of Umbrella during the years of the corporation's infancy. An experiment had gone wrong and she had been infected with an odd virus, and ancestor of Umbrella's current work. She had been impregnated several months earlier. The child was saved, but the mother's condition began to deteriorate in the following weeks.  
  
Umbrella kept the child for testing and training. He was inhumanly strong and dexterous. His intelligence and senses were also much superior to a normal humans'. In normal test subjects, the body rejected the treatment and eventually all vital signs faltered. In this child, the virus had quickly encoded itself into the DNA of the child, allowing it to grow with the benefits and disadvantages of the infection. Some of the detriments included curtailed blood coagulation, rare but powerful migraines and pale skin coloration. He escaped soon after the eighteenth year of testing.  
  
He became a member in an anti-biological warfare organization named Red Cell. The organization was small; it had been formed few months prior to the Raccoon City incident and had only a half-dozen members. He had done many mercenary jobs in the past and had formerly been a part of a number of other organizations; he was an expert in hand-to-hand combat as well as weapons and military game and theory.  
  
The Umbrella Corporation was a large supplier of biological and chemical weapons to the military; however, they also researched pharmaceutical substances and antibiotics for medical organizations.  
  
Red Cell had called him in after they had heard of the crisis in Raccoon City, and how Umbrella was trying to cover it up by sending in their Biohazard Countermeasure Forces to eliminate the evidence and by bribing or killing any government officials who were aware of the situation. Umbrella did not want its reputation tainted by the incident. Red Cell had been trying to take Umbrella down for quite some time; however, nothing they tried caused any real trouble for the company.  
  
They had sent him in via helicopter to gather any data on Umbrella's involvement with the incident. He landed in the forest, near the Spencer Mansion, in the hills above the city; it was nearing dusk.  
  
He made his way through the forest, guided the digital compass on his wristwatch, to the Spencer Mansion, where the trouble began. He kicked the door in, breaking the lock. He descended into the basement, where the Umbrella lab was reported to be. It was darker in the house then it was outside. As he continued down into the bowels of the structure, he heard voices.  
  
He reached the bottom; the voices had since grown stronger. The walls were of an odd yellow and were stained in some places. The soldier proceeded through several winding corridors, until he peeked around the next corner to see four figures. Their backs were turned; the red and white Umbrella Corporation symbol was on the back of their green jackets.  
  
The mercenary followed them, his boots making no sound against the wooden floors. The Umbrella soldiers held automatic rifles and wore infrared goggles as well. They came at last to a large metal door; a numbered keypad was placed on the wall beside the doorframe. There were small beeping sounds as the lead soldier punched in some of the numbers. The locking mechanism of the door released its hold and the door swung outwards. They left the gateway open as they passed. Their follower entered the room and crouched into a dark corner, unbeknownst to the four soldiers.  
  
"Get the files, Perkins," said one of the men.  
  
Another man nodded and walked over to a computer console in the center of the room. The chamber was quite large; numerous man-sized test tubes lined one of the walls, their contents masked by the frost on the glass. The lights were not activated; however, power was obviously still supplied to the room since the computers were online. Perkins, the man at the console, took a disk from his pocket and inserted it into a slot in the machine; he pressed several buttons and a file transfer began. As the exchange of files neared completion, Perkins' neck was broken; the other soldiers' attention was on the test tubes. They turned around only in time to see a black figure escaping through the open door.  
  
One of the men, Sergeant White, as was indicated on his jacket, ran to the console. Taking no notice of his dead partner, White slammed his fist down as he saw that the disk was stolen and the transfer completed.  
  
"Go!" he cried.  
  
They immediately began pursuing the bandit who had taken their property.  
  
The mercenary escaped with the disk, sprinting back the way he came. He burst out into the yard, toward the forest line. Gunshots rang loudly in the air behind him; one of the bullets grazed his right arm. He stumbled but kept advancing, disappearing into the forest; his pursuers soon lost sight of their mark.  
  
* * *  
  
The reverie was interrupted by the sound of beeping. He suddenly remembered where he was. He pressed on his ear and the beeping stopped, only to be replaced by a voice:  
  
"Jester?" said the voice. "Yeah." replied the Mercenary.  
  
He was using a newly designed communications device, which was implanted into the ear and stimulated the small bones in the inner ear. Another implant was placed in one of the large molars in the mouth and captured the sounds emitted from the vocal cords.  
  
"It's Aither," replied the voice, "How are you?" "Fine, I ran into some trouble, but it's alright." "Good. How are the new Mach Twos working?" "Great," replied Jester, glancing down at his sidearms. "I think I've got a lead on where you might be able to get some evidence against Umbrella." "Go on." "Umbrella's head office in Raccoon City is located about twelve blocks from your location. I'm transmitting the coordinates to your computer." "Thanks." "Over and out."  
  
Jester and Aither were codenames. Aither was a longtime friend; he spoke with a thick British accent. They began Red Cell together. Aither was in a completely different location and guided the mercenary through the city.  
  
Jester activated a GPS system on the forearm armor plate of his left arm; a small screen was located there as well as several buttons. It was extremely thin and was programmed with a map of Raccoon City. He activated it, and it immediately showed a map of the city; a red dot was indicating the location of the Umbrella offices. He deactivated the screen and began packing his equipment. He checked his watch; it was 10:24.  
  
Once his equipment was recovered, the mercenary made his way between the desks to the door, his point of entry. As he approached, a small clicking sound began emanating from the egress; the knob was shaking as if an individual were attempting to turn it, but was unfamiliar with the mechanism.  
  
Jester quickly took cover behind a desk and pointed his sidearms at the sealed aperture. The portal swung open and disfigured men and women stumbled through. They were cadaverous and gaunt; their essence was fetid. The soldier had been briefed on the creatures; they were the citizens of Raccoon City. They had been infected with an acute bacterium, which Umbrella baptized the G-Virus. It was designed as a chemical weapon to be distributed to the military; however, an accident in the concealed Umbrella laboratory underneath the Spencer Mansion released numerous test hosts into the city.  
  
The virus diminished the host's intelligence to that of an insect. It provoked an inhuman aggressiveness and ravenousness. The hosts assaulted all viable entities within range with any means conceivable by their minimal intelligence: hitting, scratching and biting. Exchange of bodily fluids meant instant incurrence of the bacteria. The mind still governed the body during infection; hence, terminating its function terminated the life of the host.  
  
The titanium-tipped depleted-uranium rounds, aimed with deadly accuracy, effortlessly punctured the skulls of their marks. Long flames erupted from the muzzles of the custom-built weapons as they discharged their ammunition. The numerous hosts of the G-Virus poured through the breach. Jester's weapons clicked empty as their magazines were depleted of their thirty rounds of ammunition. He immediately holstered them and turned. He darted with inhuman speed to the far end of the long room. He sprung into the air and delivered a kick to a desk beside the window; it slid across the floor and broke through the pane of glass before falling into the narrow alley below.  
  
The mercenary, who landed on the adjacent roof, which was much lower than its neighboring tower, leapt over the gap. He quickly ran to the access door to the emergency stairwell, leading down into the chaos-plagued streets.  
  
The power to the street-lamps had failed, leaving the streets dark, lit only by the fires that infested the city; however, the infrared goggles worn by the Red Cell officer supplied him with sufficient illumination. He exited the building and ran to the other side of the road, into another alley, and disappeared into the darkness, progressing toward the Umbrella headquarters.  
  
He reached a wide street with numerous lanes. The remains of a police car were burning; nearby, a group of infected civilians were feeding on two cadavers. Jester ran past them and into another dark alley. He checked his GPS tracking system to note his whereabouts in perspective to the headquarters. Only a kilometer remained between him and the structure. The high-pitched beeping tone in his ear began to sound; Jester pressed his ear and Aither began speaking:  
  
"Jester," he said, "my screen indicates you're nearing the Umbrella HQ." "Affirmative." replied Jester, running down the long alley. "The power is out and part of the structure has been damaged by fires. You'll have to reach the thirty-seventh floor, where most of their research files are kept." "Understood." "I'll be able to guide you through the building, I've acquired a structural map of the interior. I'll contact you when you arrive. Over and out."  
  
The transmission ended and silence ensued, except for the cacophony spawned by the surrounding anarchy.  
  
The Raccoon City Umbrella Corporation Headquarters proudly stood, pointing upward toward the dark blanket of the night sky. Jester emerged from an alley across the way, sprinting toward the immense structure. The glass doors of the ground floor were shattered; the mercenary entered through one of the many apertures. The sound of the glass shards under his feet were forgotten when the beeping recommenced.  
  
"Jester." said Aither, "There should be a stairwell access to the left of the entrance lounge." "Got it."  
  
He walked over to the closed portal and pushed the door open; he began climbing the stairs with great dexterity and agility.  
  
"You'll have to get to the thirty-eighth floor. Access to the thirty- seventh is restricted. I think I've found a way to get into it, though." "Understood."  
  
The trek to the thirty-eighth floor was hindered only by several fires, which were easily bypassed.  
  
"Alright," said Aither, as Jester reached the designated storey, "Near the floor beside the door, there should be a large vent access." "Affirmative." "See if you can get inside."  
  
Jester removed a small black case from his chest pocket; inside the case was a set of screwdrivers and other various tools. He removed the vent grating with little difficulty and crawled inside.  
  
"After a few feet of horizontal venting, there should be a drop of a few feet. Once you've cleared the drop, you should be in a shaft in the ceiling of the thirty-seventh floor."  
  
The soldier navigated through the complex network of narrow ducts until he found a grating, facing down into a large metallic room.  
  
"You're just above the laboratory control room. This is where all the data is stored on Umbrella's experiments."  
  
With a reverse-magnetic device, Jester was able to repel the screws supporting the grating, forcing them, one by one, to fall onto the floor below. Once all of the supports were removed, the gate was coerced to the floor by gravity. The man dropped down into the metallic room, lit with a dim red glow and congested with computer consoles of various shapes and sizes.  
  
"I thought you said the power was out?" said Jester, "Most of these consoles are still operating." "Yes; however, the thirty-seventh storey is on a standalone power generator incase of such an incident to protect any unsaved data." replied Aither, "Now try to find the master station console, it should be larger than the others and situated in the center of the room." "Found it." "Good, now get one of your disks into one of the drives and extract all the information you can."  
  
The mercenary did as he was told, withdrawing a disk from one of the pockets of his backpack. He began extracting all the files pertaining to the Raccoon City experiments.  
  
Jester quickly turned around, only to see a dark figure strike down with the butt of a weapon. He fell to the ground as his consciousness was seized from him. .  
  
* * *  
  
The pungent smell of tobacco smoke filled his nostrils as his consciousness was revived. The Umbrella soldier, Sergeant White, was pacing back and forth, a cigarette in his mouth. Jester was on the floor; his hands were tied together as well as his feet. His weapons and backpack were laid out on a nearby desk. Two other Umbrella operatives were in the room, one sat in a chair, his feet on a desk, and another stood behind White.  
  
"You're a hard man to track," said White, "but not impossible."  
  
The Sergeant pulled two data disks from his chest pocket.  
  
"You won't be needing these anymore." he said, "Unfortunately, I've got places to be, so I think I'll cut our conversation short and end your escapade."  
  
White turned and flicked his cigarette away; the red ember skittered away on the floor. One of White's men approached and took aim at Jester's head, but looked away as heavy footsteps began to resound outside the heavy metallic security door.  
  
A thunderous bang rang through the air and a huge dent appeared in the door. The Umbrella soldiers immediately scrambled, throwing over desks for cover and taking aim at the door. Jester took the opportunity to roll across the floor to the desk supporting his equipment. He used his feet to overturn the large table. Locating his survival knife, he cut the ropes detaining his hands and feet.  
  
The banging continued; the door had sustained heavy damage and was beginning to give way. The Umbrella mercenaries were the most elite tacticians, permitting them to accomplish the most impossible tasks with ease; however, even these men expressed signs of fear.  
  
Jester retrieved all his equipment and crouched behind the desk, covertly observing the three mercenaries. The hinges of the door finally collapsed, granting passage to the massive force behind it; a creature, nearly eight feet in height, wearing black leather pants and coat, was standing there. Its face had been modified; several metal plates completed its skeletal structure both in its face and on its arms.  
  
It quickly ran into the room, through the shower of lead being discharged by the Umbrella mercenaries. It smashed White, who was the nearest target, aside; he banged into the wall and fell to the ground, a large streak of blood marked where his skull yielded to the unforgiving metal.  
  
The adeptness of the other soldiers was no match for the beast. It crushed the skull of the first with one hand; blood and gore spewed from the fissure. The other managed to keep the brute at bay for an instant longer; however, in the end, his body was left severed at the spine, both pieces lay at separate ends of the room.  
  
Jester sprung from his refuge just as the creature took notice of his presence. It attempted to strike him, but Jester managed to evade the attack, come around the beast and, jumping up, delivered a kick to the base of its skull, sending it careening over a toppled desk. Jester darted to Sergeant White's corpse, and reached into his chest pocket, recovering the data disks. He then sprinted from the room and made his way to the stairwell.  
  
As he descended, Aither contacted him:  
  
"Jester," he said, "we can't get you out of the city." "What about the chopper?" "Umbrella shot it down. They know about you. They've got unmarked helicopters patrolling the surrounding forest and mountain ranges; they aren't letting anything in or out. They're also sending in more soldiers to get you." "Than how do I get out of here?" "I'm trying to figure out a way to get you out of there, it might take some time." "Understood." "In the meantime, go to the hospital, dig up any medical records you can on infected patients. I'm transmitting the location to you now." "Affirmative." "Aither out."  
  
The signal was lost as Jester exited the large tower and retreated into an alley. The hospital was located only a short distance away from the Umbrella Corporation's Headquarters; therefore, he was able to reach it without difficulty. It was four storeys tall and was a very old edifice. Lights flickered in some of the windows, in others, there were none.  
  
The front hospital doors had been smashed completely off the hinges. The floors were made from large tiles and colored blue and orange; the neon lights were smashed, and the few that remained were defectively blinking. As Jester walked through the front lobby past the absent receptionist's desk, the crushed glass on the floor and under his feet spawned raucous discord.  
  
The elevator doors were open despite the absence of the lift, displaying the inoperative status of the device. Hospitals were on a standalone power source, allowing for minimal lighting and continued operation of computer terminals and medical implements. Jester sat in the receptionist's chair; blood coated the keyboard, desk and floor. He punched several keys into the keyboard, searching for any patients with the symptoms of the G-Virus. The monitor returned several dozen names and indicated that the patients who demonstrated these symptoms were placed in the K2 ward on the third storey. He quickly left the chair and entered the stairwell, quickly progressing up to the allocated floor.  
  
Awkward footsteps were audible on the third floor; Jester continued toward the K2 ward, following the path indicated by the arrows and signs on the walls. As he turned another corner, he clearly made out four dark figures walking in his direction; they stumbled as they walked, dragging their feet and moving as a puppet would. Withdrawing the long, slender blade from its scabbard on his back, he walked toward them.  
  
The first's face was crushed by a swift aerial kick; the limp body smashed against the wall, leaving a trail of gore as it slid to the tiles comprising the floor. The second was dispatched with a swift strike of the silver blade, hewing part of its skull from the body. The hard chunk of flesh rolled away down the corridor. Simultaneously, the third and fourth were slaughtered.  
  
Jester progressed forward and finally reached the specified section of the hospital. He immediately bypassed all rooms and proceeded directly to the sampling room, where all samples of blood were kept frozen. The floor was tiled in the same manner as the other sections of the hospital; a large metal door, left slightly open, was the only obstruction to the clean, smooth surface of the far wall. The only light provided was emitted from the three computer terminals on the desk against the left wall. Three rows of shelves, supporting boxes and files stuck outward from the right wall. Heavy, deep breathing was discernible, coming from between one of the rows of shelves. The sidearms on Jester's thighs were immediately unholstered.  
  
Peeking into one of the rows, the infrared goggles perceived a man, dressed in the familiar Umbrella combat uniform, was sitting against the wall; he was severely injured in the abdominal area. He had lost enough blood to assure his death and entrails could be seen protruding from the fatal wound. He gasped as he saw the masked face peer around the corner.  
  
"Who's there?" he said, agonizingly. "A friend." replied Jester, approaching him, "Who did this to you?" "I became infected with the virus, my commander shot me and left me here. What the hell are you doing here anyway?" "I'm here to bury the people you work for."  
  
The man made an attempt at laughing, but only rasped and cried out in agony.  
  
"Take this," said the man.  
  
He reached into his leg pocket and withdrew two vials, reinforced with metal casing; they both contained red liquid.  
  
"It's blood from infected civilians." he said, "we destroyed all of the other samples except for a dozen or so; they were to be brought back for testing. We put them in those fortified vials to prevent contamination; they're unbreakable. "Thanks." returned Jester. "I don't have much time left." he said, the pain subsiding, "Go to the Industrial Park on the east side of town, to warehouse seven; it's abandoned, but Umbrella had set up some kind of lab or something before the outbreak; you might find something there."  
  
Jester nodded and stood. Before exiting the row, Jester turned and lifted his weapon. The man's agony was quickly extinguished.  
  
"Jester." said Aither, over the radio. "What is it?" "We're going on communications blackout soon; the satellite is leaving its position over the eastern hemisphere. Send me everything you have on those disks." "Affirmative. Stand by."  
  
Jester produced a small black device from his backpack. It was large enough to oblige a single disk. A small LCD meter was on the face of the device. He inserted one of the two disks and pressed a button. The red meter lit up and began progressing; it indicated the completion percentage of the file transfer. The device was a satellite-linked file transfer device; it was linked directly to Aither's console.  
  
"Have you figured out a way to get me out of here?" said Jester. "Maybe. The military have been giving Umbrella some trouble; Umbrella positioned choppers all around the city without authorization. This may give us the opportunity we need to get you out; I'll get back to you when the second satellite comes within communications range." "How long will we be out of contact?" We'll be out of contact for about four hours, maybe less. I'll analyze the data you're sending me in the meantime. Just stay put." "Affirmative." "Over and out."  
  
The first disk completed its transfer; the second disk was loaded.  
  
Once the transfers were complete, Jester packed his equipment and exited the hospital. Several infected civilians were dispatched during the trek. The industrial district of the city was only a few kilometers away; this distance could be covered with ease by the trained soldier.  
  
The uneventful journey to the industrial park was lengthened; a fire had spread through several of the city blocks and a detour was required. A wall, measuring nearly eight feet, surrounded the industrial district, which was quite small. Raccoon City's recent growth acceleration left the city lacking in several departments. Industry was never a popular concept among the people of Raccoon, their town was very clean and polluting industries were frowned upon.  
  
Large black numbers were painted on the roofs and walls of each warehouse, making the identification of warehouse seven relatively uncomplicated. As he approached the structure's main entrance, a vehicle made its way down the street, toward him; he darted back into the dark asylum provided by the gap between warehouse seven and its neighboring depot.  
  
The jeep, identifiable only as a modified Humvee, pulled up to the huge door at the front of the building, which had undoubtedly been used for storing large cargo when the structure was still in use. A single soldier exited the vehicle and inserted a key into a pad on the right side of the door; it began to slide open when he turned it clockwise. Several other figures were distinguishable inside the vehicle. He reversed the key's direction when the door was high enough to allow the vehicle passage; it began closing slowly.  
  
Once the dark green truck entered, Jester made his way to the rear of the structure, where a pipe trailed down from the roof to control the flow of water during a storm. He climbed the cylinder with great dexterity until he reached the roof at its end. A window in the metallic roof made entrance into the edifice possible; the rusted padlock was pried open by Jester's survival knife. Jester swung the portal open and lowered himself through it, onto long metal beams running along the width of the ceiling to support its weight. Each beam was spaced by nearly fifteen feet. With great, inhuman acrobatic proficiency, Jester swung himself from one girder to another, soundlessly.  
  
Soon, the Humvee was visible along with five men, clad in black combat uniforms; they were standing in the only light visible inside the structure, which was produced by small lamps in that particular area. Diverse tables and computer consoles littered the environs where the truck was parked. Large cargo bins surrounded them, presumably to hide the contents of the structure to the outside when the door was opened. Two of the men began setting explosives, while the others conversed leisurely, unaware of the prying eyes observing them.  
  
One of the soldiers walked to a console and punched numerous buttons before inserting a card into a slot. A large module facing the console emitted mechanical sounds; a hiss was also heard, as the cryogenic storage was unlocked. A metallic cylinder was raised, which then extended a vial similar to the ones given to Jester by the injured soldier. The vial was occupied by a thin blue solution.  
  
Jester positioned himself quietly over the unsuspecting men; reaching into one of his chest pockets, he removed two small, rounded silver devices. They were small cylinders, slightly longer than the width of a human hand; the bottom was rounded and a button, protected by a translucent cap, occupied the top. He pressed the button on each of the devices and dropped them simultaneously. Halfway down, the shiny silver casing on the objects flew off and smoke poured from their insides. They hit the floor; smoke filled the surroundings within seconds.  
  
Using the cargo bins to stagger his descent, Jester jumped from the rafters and quickly reached the ground. He waited until the field of smoke dissipated before engaging the disoriented soldiers 


End file.
